Supporting-chair for supporting reinforcing-bars



O. J. VOELPEL.

' SUPPORTING CHAIR FOR SUPPORTING HEINPORCING BARS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1919.

21,878,202, Patented May 17, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

[Mae/z Z011' @zz 'ye/e JZ/MZ.

0. J. VOELPEL'. SUPPORTING CHAIR FOR SUPPORTING REINFORCING BARS.

, APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. |919. 1,878,202.

,C f1 fr *Jg #.'Ii'i'ii'il'lh''ifiw t R a llllllllllflllflllllIHIIUIIIHIIHIIML INIIMIMIHIIINIIIIISIHlllrlIlfJlHlllf Ji@IlIlHlIlIIIINIIIHINILIIHIHIMIEM!= A 'IIIIHIIHIIUIIUIIIENi f l Patentd May 17, 1921 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2l l y [2z venan @liz/@f eZ/yel,

naires siaissY OLIVER .'r. VOELPEL, or sr. LoUisi/iissounr.

SUPPORTING-cnam ron SUPPORTING nisiNronciNG-BARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17, 1921.

Application filed September 8, 1919. Serial No. 322,343.

To all whomz' may concern Be it known that I, OLIVER J. VOELPEL, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Supporting-Chair for Supporting Reinforcing- Bars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved form of supporting chair, providing the following advantages, for supporting reinforcing bars at the required distance above the forms in concrete structures, particularly in the class known as flat slab construction, and serving as a gage or screed Jfor gaging the thickness of the slab.

In fiat slab construction where, by reason of the tensile stresses coming over the column heads in the top of the concrete slab, the steel reinforcing bars which take up the tensile strcssesmust be bent up from the bottom of the slab, on account of change in stress, into the top of the slab and pass over .the column heads. .My supporting chair has a seat which provides a substantial 'support to hold the reinforcing bars at the proper distance above the forms as'intended by the design.

My supporting chair is vprovided with arms to prevent the rods from slipping offI of the seat and thus becoming displaced laterally during the process of construction and pouring of the concrete. These arms are extended up above the seat so that the concrete can be poured level with the top surface of the arms of the chair, thus the device serves the purpose of a gage, or screed. To illustrate more definitely, if the design calls for a seven and one half inch thick slab, the chair will be made so that the perpendicular distance from the bottom edge of the legs to the top surface of the arms above the seat will be seven and one half inches, equivalent to the thickness of the slab required. The chairs are placed on the form work at intervals around each coluinn head over the entire floorV to support the reinforcing bars. Theworkmen, pouring the concrete, Vwill know that the required thickness of the slab has been attained when the concrete reaches a level. with the top surface of the arms of the supporting chair.

The base of each one of thel legs of my supporting chair is bent outwardly and upwardly thereby forming a foot which provides a bearing for the nails, or staples, lso

' ofthe arms of the chair.

that the supporting chair may be tempo-` rarilyhfastened to the form work to resist upsetting, until the required stability is provided by the weight of the reinforcing bars which the chairs support, when then the nails, or staples maybe removed. lt` will be noted, that by having the curved ends or feet at the base of the legs of the chair, that only a thin edge comes in contact with the wood forms, thus allowing concreteto fiow under the curved portion or feet so that when the form work is stripped and the concrete exposed there will be nothing unsightly showing on the ceiling. f The legs of ,the supporting chair are spread the proper distance apart Vso that they possess the necessary stability, V'when the reinforcing bars which they support are being tamped upon. Y The shape of the supportingchair is so made that it will allow the concrete to iiow freely under, through and around every part of it, embedding it lcompletely in the "concrete and making it an integral and natural part of the reinforced concrete construction. With the above and other objects in view, the invention comprises the novel features `of construction described in thefollowing specification and finally pointed out in the claims hereto appended. y

Referring to the accompanyingV drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like characters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views:

Figure l, is a plan view of my improved chair.

Fig. 2, is a side elevation thereof showing Y Fig. 4, is a perspective view of my improved chair showing the manner in which Vit is temporarily fixed to thepwood forms, or

centering.

Fig. 5, is a plan view 'over a column' head showing'the reinforcing bars, and clearly showingthe position and, useof a plurality of mv improved supporting chairs supporting the reinforcing rods.

i Fig. 6, is a section view showing the 'supporting chairs in elevation supportingreinforcing bars, and showingthe guidearms gaging the thickness of the slab by having the concrete come level with the top surface Referring to the drawings., vthe reference Cir character 1 designates a supporting column. 2 represents the floor forms, or, centering, while 3 designates reinforcing bars running in one direction and 4 the reinforcing bars running at right angles thereto. The reinforcing bars 3 and 4L are shown bent up and elevated above the head 5 of the column 1.

In carr ing out the aim of my present invention, Y construct a chair for supporting the reinforcing bars from a blank, or single rectangular sheet of metallic material.

The chair designated A, comprises a rectangular metallic blank sheared longitudinally of the blank from the lower edge thereof toward the upper edge thereof, as at 6 and 7, to provide three supporting legs 8, 9 and r10. The legs 8 and 9, known as the side legs, are bent outwardly at a suitable angle to the vertical body vportion 11 of the chair A and on one side thereof, while the center leglO is bent outwardly in the opposite 'direction to legs 8 and 9 to provide a tripod support for the chair body 11, so that the chair will possess the necessary stability against upsetting. The lower end ofeach leg 8, 9 and 10 is curved upwardly and out- Wardly forming a suitable foot 12 to permit the legs to be temporarily fixed to the wood floor forms 2 by means of suitable fasteners, such as nails 13. By having the lower ends of the supporting legs curved, it will be understood that the lower end of the legs will not be exposed after the concrete floor has been formed, as the cement and sand will flow under the curved portion and practically conceal the entire lower curved foot, or surface of the supporting legs, as is manifest. The' nails 13 are preferably removed before the concrete is poured, the nails only being employedto hold` the chairs in the proper spaced relations and prevent their upsetting until the reinforcing bars have been positioned thereon, whenthe weight of the reinforcing bars will provide the necessary stability.

The upper portion 11 of the chair A, is provided with a cutaway portion 14;, open at its upper end, to provide a rod supporting edge, or seat 15 and side guides, or arms 16 to prevent the reinforcing bars from rolling, or falling off of the chair and becoming displaced during the process of construction and the pouring of concrete. The arms 16 with the balance of the chair form a gage, or screed to gage the thickness of the slab. The arms 16 are extended up far enough above the seat 15 so that measuring a perpendicular distance 17 from the base'of the legs, or the form work to the top surface of the arms 16 will be equivalent to the required thickness of slab. The concrete slab is to be leveled olf with the top surface of the arms 16. A f

From Figs. 2 and 3, it will be clearly seen that .the .rods designated 3 lia 0r rest P011 'the supporting edge, or seat 15 of the body portion 11 of the chair, while the cross-bars designated A are supported by the reinforcing bars 3. f

It" will be further observed that a chair, constructed in accordance with my invention, is so formed as to permit the concrete to iiow freely under, through and around every part of it, inclosing each supporting leg as well as the body 11, the side guides,

which when a load is applied to the chair,

will seat themselves in the wooden boards 2 of the floor form, as is manifest. It will be observed that should the nails 13 be forgotten, or work loose for any reason, the prongs 18 would preventthe supporting legs of the chairfrom spreading under a load.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that I have formed a chair for the use intended, that will be simple and comparatively ineXpensive in construction, durable and efficient.

The many Vadvantages of the hereindescribed chair will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

I do not wish to be understood as having limited myself to the exact details of construction shown and described, but desire to have it understood that the chair I have shown in the drawings is merely illustrative, as it is manifest that various minor changes may he made in the form, shape and particular arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, hence reserve the right to make any such changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims when fairly construed.

What I claim is:

1. A chair for supporting reinforcing bars in reinforced concrete slabV construction comprising a body portion `having a seat for supporting the reinforcing bars, guide arms to prevent extreme lateral movement of the reinforcing bars upon their seat, supporting legs having feet for said body portion, prongs formed integral with the legs adjacent the feet thereof to prevent spreading of the legs when a load is applied to the chair and said guide arms together with the other members of the rchair adapted to serve as a slab thickness gage.

2. A chair for supporting reinforcing bars in reinforced concrete slab construction complsng a single metallic plate having its v upper end provided with a relatively deep right angular cutaway portion to form a seat for a plurality of reinforcing bars and to provide opposed guide arms to prevent extreme lateral displacement of the reinforcing bars laid upon the seat of the chair while depositing concrete thereabout, said metallic plate being provided with two longitudinal slits extending from the lower edge of the metallic plate to a point below the seat of the chair to provide a plurality of supporting legs for the chair, said supporting legs having feet and being spread apart at their lower ends to form a tripod support for the chair, Vand eachleg adjacent the lfoot thereof being provided with "a prong integral therewith tobite into form boards to prevent spreading of the legs when reinforcing bars are laid upon the seat of the chair andthe aforesaid guide arms together with the associated members of the OLIVER TJ. voELPEL. 

